Name: Gianni Conti
Age: 32
Team: Inter Aliyah A
Originally from: Montevideo, Uruguay
Favourite Team: Flamengo
Position: Goalkeeper
Football Idols: Ronaldo and Ronaldinho
Interesting Fact: Gianni was a goalkeeper as a teenager but then became a striker for most of his playing years. It was only once he came to Israel that he suddenly returned to playing with his hands... He also happens to be a quality basketball player!!
''I've been playing football since I was a little kid, but never in goal. I then stopped playing football when I was 12-years-old to because I started to focus on tennis instead.
''Then, at age of 15, a friend asked me if I wanted to be the goalkeeper of his team as they didn't have one. So I went and played for 5 years as a goalie and then switched positions to be a striker later on.
''I first came to Israel on a Masa program (ITC) to study Cyber Security. After the course finished, I decided to look for a job and stay in Tel Aviv to continue gaining experience in my career.
''I just started as the first employee at a new startup company; doing whatever is needed in this stage of the company's life hoping to make a huge impact with our product.
Gianni saving a penalty in his very first game for Inter Aliyah
''Once I was in Israel I was desperate to play any kind of sport; an old friend told me about the Inter Aliyah group for the tournaments, which I joined but actually never played in one. One day at the beginning of May last year, Matt Keston asked who wanted to play in an 11-a-side match as part of the Inter White trials, which I played in.
''From there, I was invited to train with the Inter A team, which was starting pre-season, so I joined and I soon became part of the squad. I played in at least half the games in Liga Gimmel last year, sharing the first-choice keeper responsibilities with Leo Gewertz.
''Inter has been a very special part of my life because it's a place where I met a lot of cool people that are more than just teammates, they are now my friends. I really hope this year we can do better as a team and group and get better results as well as more BBQs and party nights!!
''Gianni''.